By: Josh White

WAREHAM, Mass. – The old adage in baseball is that good pitching beats good hitting. And that was true between the Firebirds and the Gatemen in their first three meetings.

Orleans held Wareham to just four combined runs over those contests, staying undefeated against the Gatemen. But Friday evening, the best pitching team in the Cape couldn’t contain the league’s most potent offense.

Wareham struck for 12 runs across the first four innings and cruised to a 15-4 victory over Orleans in front of 1,046 fans at Spillane Field.

With the loss, the Firebirds (11-7-2) have dropped three straight for the first time this season. Orleans had won five consecutive games before its recent slide.

“It’s something we’re going to flush,” Firebirds’ pitching coach Mathew Troupe said. “Onward now and we’ll look ahead to our next game. I expect big things out of the Birds tomorrow.”

Wareham (11-8-1) tallied 20 hits, led by a career day for speedy center fielder Braiden Ward (Washington). Ward went 6-for-6, finishing a triple shy of the cycle, including a two-run blast in the third inning.

Orleans’ starting pitcher Owen Sharts (Nevada) only lasted two innings and got tagged for nine runs. The right-hander had surrendered just one run over his first 10 2/3 innings this summer.

“He was catching a little bit of plate, but the props go out to Wareham. They were putting good swings on the ball,” Troupe said.

The Gatemen got started early, tallying four in the first inning behind a grand slam by catcher Adrian Del Castillo (Miami).

And an inning later, Wareham tacked on five more. After Sharts set down the leadoff man, the next seven Gatemen hitters reached base.

Wareham’s first baseman Jacob Teter (Southern Florida) knocked a single into center, plating two before Del Castillo followed with a base hit for his fifth RBI of the night. Third baseman Dallas Beaver (Central Florida) rocketed a two-run double to cap off the five-run frame.

Gatemen shortstop Ben Sems (Kansas) rounded out the 12 unanswered runs, bringing home Beaver with a groundout in the fourth.

Wareham starter Ian Bedell (Missouri) struck out seven over five innings, allowing two runs on five hits and no walks. The right-hander has tossed 10 innings against the Firebirds, limiting Orleans to those two tallies.

“He was locating and just keeping us off balance,” center fielder Jacob Hurtubise (Army) said of Bedell. “He had a good three-pitch mix with his fastball, changeup and curveball.”

Right fielder Zach Daniels (Tennessee) delivered a two-RBI double in the fifth and the Firebirds’ tacked on two more off Wareham’s bullpen in the sixth.

After the Gatemen responded with three more runs in the home half, Orleans’ manager Kelly Nicholson turned to a position player to get the final out of the inning.

Zach Kokoska (Kansas State), who pitched two innings this past spring for the Wildcats, pumped a fastball for strike one against Teter. The southpaw reared back and fired another heater that the 6-foot-6, 230-pound slugger lined off the arm of Kokoska. The natural outfielder couldn’t track the comeback at first but snatched it to escape the jam.

 “There’s not too much pressure in that situation, so my plan was to just go out there and have fun,” Kokoska said. “It was so quick. I just felt it, spun around, found it up in the air and snagged it.”

Orleans will now turn its attention to the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox for a home-and-home weekend set. Saturday’s first pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Eldredge Park.

Short Hops:

- Despite the loss, Orleans took the season-series against Wareham 2-1-1. The Firebirds sport an 8-2-2 mark against West Division foes.

- Hurtubise made his Birds’ debut Friday after playing five games for Harwich. Mariners’ manager Steve Englert told Hurtubise Wednesday of the opportunity with Orleans.

“I haven’t gotten too many at-bats since I’ve been on the Cape so it was good to be able to get five quality at-bats tonight,” Hurtubise said. “I’ll miss my old teammates, but the guys all welcomed me into the clubhouse right away.”

- Firebirds' southpaw Jared Shuster (Wake Forest) gets the nod Saturday against the Red Sox. Shuster boasts a 1.38 ERA in his first three outings.